call me your darling
by ice cream parlour
Summary: "smoking is bad for your health." —in which claire dies and scars the resident's hearts. claire x trent x elli


read & review pls  
honestly, my favorite thing right now are harvest moon fics.  
have a sad one with a little bit of death, and a triangle.

* * *

she took a long drag from her cigarette, the embers encrusted at the butt flickering bright.

trent watched her from across the square, making his way to the inn for a late night dinner after he closed the clinic. meeting her, purely, by coincidence.

he grimaced, the way she enjoyed her cigarette with such vigor disgusted him. trent hadn't meant to stare, and neither did he realize it until he found her meeting his gaze.

trent froze in place, his heart dropping into that low place in the pit of his stomach. he quickly turned away, and he could hear the scorn in her small laugh.

"good evening, doctor."

she was smiling, without malice or any ill intention. trent could feel his ears burning, a flush creeping up his neck with shame tasting bitter on his tongue.

 _why am i ashamed? she should be, she's the one sucking on cancer,_ trent angrily shoved his hands in his coat pockets and stalked off, burrowing deeper into the scarf elli had knitted for him.

"smoking is bad for your health."

he brushed past her, but not before he noticed her thin coat, on her thin frame, with her thin hands poking out from the sleeves.

trent's first inclination was to hand off his own jacket, but he didn't particularly care for her. she had her farm. she had a home. a warm place to stay, a bed, her farm. she knew how to take care of herself, her own limits and exceptions.

she was fine.

neither she or trent said anything as he rounded the corner exiting west of the square.

* * *

trent forgot all about that night until elli brought in some milk. she knew how much he enjoyed milk, bless her.

this was why he loved elli.

"hey," he kissed her lightly in greeting on her lips.

"oh!" she exclaimed, still surprised by how affectionate he had turned out to be. a serious man about his work, no one would have ever known how dedicated and serious he would be to any lover. "good morning doctor!"

trent smiled, studying the gentle curve of her lips in their melt worthy smile. elli was so sweet. "what do you have there?"

elli swept a choclate lock of hair behind her ear, "it's fresh milk. i know how much you love milk, so i made sure to get some. it's the best in the market right now."

trent raised an eyebrow, curious as to how elli could have gotten her hands on some of the so called "best in the market" milk, as amazing as elli was.

"really now! i wonder how we happened upon it. mineral town is small, and out of the way."

elli paused, and gave him a knowing smile. "it is from mineral town."

trent stopped, confused for a minute before elli went on.

"it's from claire's farm."

the first recollection he could pull was her voice, and then her smile, her thin and slender hands and the cigarette poised gracefully between each elongated and clean digit, the color of her wheat hair in the moonlight.

"well now, isn't that wonderful. might mean more for the rest of us as well."

elli came up behind him, wrapping her arms around his waist. "wouldn't that just be grand?"

"marvelous, in fact," trent's mind wandered from elli's presence to the night days before with the thin girl, tendrils of smoke wrapped around in her own hazy atmosphere.

* * *

he was caught unaware when he found her in his own clinic, sitting there with a clipboard and paper, pen in hand busily scribbling down information.

her eyes were cast down, her long eyelashes sweeping against her cheek. he could see dark circles that she didn't bother to hide. her long blonde hair, either tied away from her face or otherwise too busy to care for. the makings of hollows in her cheeks, bones jutting out of her diamond facet face. he could see her collarbone peeking out of her coat, from the crevice of her button up plastered down by her overalls.

"c–claire?"

he couldn't catch himself in time.

she looked up, her mouth slightly ajar, expression not in the slightest altered.

she acknowledged him, searching him with her crystal blue eyes. they seemed to pierce ice daggers into his body, he could feel the chill settle in as his skin raised in bumps. she was too intense.

her lips closed, slowly creased a smile into her sharp face. the moonlight from nights ago softened the harshness of it, but he found the same smile in there somewhere.

"hello, doctor."

it was the same tone she took with him when she caught him staring at her.

"she's here to see you today, dar–doctor," elli corrected herself, and trent could still feel her eyes on him even as he turned to look at elli. he hadn't noticed she was in the same room even, for how intense _her_ presence was it overshadowed elli.

"ah," he cleared his throat, "i see."

"i was just telling her about how much you liked the milk from her farm," elli smiled and went on, all her honey and sugar gushing out of her sweetheart smile.

she was nothing like elli, who was unarguably one of the town's precious darlings. no— _she_ was whiskey and blood. pure sweat and the savory tears of triumph and relief. she was a hard worker, who indisputably brought the town out of a slump.

trent had never bothered with her, never even once got the chance to meet her prior to this.

"that makes me happy to hear," the smile on her face hadn't gone. if her gaze rested on him a second too long, elli didn't seem to notice. elli sung praises, trent couldn't help but stare back, brows furrowed and mouth set in an uncomfortable straight line.

"doctor, you should prep the room," elli brought him back from whatever netherland he had momentarily been transported to by this woman.

"ah yes, of course," trent kissed elli on a blushing cheek, before making his way back to the exam room.

"and i'll get back to these papers," she turned back down to the clipboard, the pen in her hand, scribbling away information privy to her, elli and the doctor. the tension he felt disappeared with her scrutinous watch, and trent nearly breathed out in relief.

trent escaped, elli's busy chatter gone the moment he closed the door.

he shuddered against his will, every hair stood on end. she set him on edge for some reason.

trent laid out new parchment on the bed, sanitized every piece of equipment and laid it out on the table next to him. he held up his stethoscope and wiped it down thoroughly.

for some reason the stethoscope was his favorite instrument. it was so medical, and yet so intimate at the same time. he could hear anyone's heartbeat with it, the very force behind every pulse, the sound of blood shooting through vein and artery.

he stared at it a second or two longer before he let it hang around his neck.

two knocks on the door, and elli entered, paperwork in hand.

"here darling," she closed the door behind her, titles and affectionate terms becoming interchangeable behind a curtain from the rest of the world. "she's ready when you are."

"thank you," he took the file, setting it down on the table next to the equipment.

"no problem," elli smiled, before leaning up to kiss him quickly. she blushed, mousily scampering off towards the door. "i'll see you tonight?"

"my treat," he smiled reassuringly. she returned it shyly, before escaping.

left again to his own devices, trent flipped through the papers. no family history, no medical history, but no other complications within the last five years.

twenty three years of life, nothing else to show for. who was this woman, that suddenly willed herself into mineral town existence?

trent opened the door, files in hand, "claire?"

she sat as if in a stupor, staring dumbly and vacantly at the floor, before turning her intense stare to him once more.

"come this way please," he instructed, widening the door opening for her.

she did as she was told, and soon her gangly, thin shape made its way towards the exam room.

trent moved for her, closing the door once she was inside.

"sit, please."

once again, she obeyed.

"let's start with your pulse," he reached for her wrist, which felt small and brittle. she looked like she would break at any moment.

it was a weak thing, her pulse. and he could barely make it out. he scribbled some notes down before moving on to her temperature, breathing, blood pressure, and heart rate.

before he announced he was finished with her heart rate, he made sure to check on her breathing. trent made sure not to audibly exclaim at how surprised he was.

there was so much crackling and wheezing within her chest cavity, he had to look up at her, only to find her staring down at him expectantly.

trent withdrew from her, removing his stethoscope without breaking eye contact.

"i just needed one person to know," she shrugged.

he stared at her quizzically, suspicion and doubt unapologetically scrawled all over his features.

"how long?"

she was quiet, unmoving, the gears in her head turning like clockwork as she gathered her thoughts. her dry, cracked lips curled upwards in a wild, wolfish grin before she found something to say.

"it's already spread to my brain, and my bones. it hurts to do any farm work now," she sucks in a labored breath, like it hurt to take in anything except for the fumes from her cigarette.

she pursed her lip, her back slouched forward in a messy curvy half moon. "let's see. i started when i was fifteen, and i didn't have the mind to stop. i was diagnosed at twenty. went through a year of treatment. i didn't like it so i stopped, came here."

she exhaled, pulled her hair down the front with both hands on either side of her neck, wandering eyes meeting his before she smiled again. "and then i knew," she searched his eyes with her own clear cut blue eyes, "so the night you were watching me, i decided that i should have told at least one person."

trent stared at her with disbelief and hard judgement.

"i don't expect you to do anything," she shrugged, "i came here to live peacefully."

"why me?"

"you just happened to be there that night," she said. "and you're also a huge jerk, so i thought i'd leave you behind with one heavy secret."

trent had half a mind to grab her by the collar and—

"you'll keep it between us, won't you _doctor_ trent? you're bound by confidentiality. and please don't tell elli. i don't want her to know."

trent stopped and watched her, the hint of sadness in her voice did not escape him.

"are you in love with my girlfriend?" he almost yelled aloud.

"is that a problem?" she bobbed her head to the side inquisitively. "she is _your girlfriend_ , after all. i wouldn't be too worried. she chose you over me."

he didn't notice how hard he was gripping his coat. this was too much to process for one morning.

"w–wait. you're doing this to spite me!" trent scowled at the frail woman sitting at his table.

she watched him, face void of any expressions. he couldn't read her. and then she laughed, low and harsh. it was a cruel sound.

"and if i am?"

"i'll tell elli," he gambled.

"confidentiality," she breathed. her voice was small, all the edges and force melting away. it sounded green and light, like spring after a long winter.

something about it made trent listen to her.

"fine," he said quietly. "can i ask one thing of you?"

"like you're in any position to ask," she mocked. "what is it?"

trent scowled, feeling justified in his dislike of her. "i'd like to see you routinely. schedule a regular appointment with elli. twice a week."

"now _you're_ doing this to spite me," she laughed shakily, her thin legs swinging under her. she was enjoying this. "okay."

trent nodded. "if there's anything else you'd like to discuss," he raised an eyebrow.

she nodded her head. "i'll see myself out. thank you, doctor."

* * *

"hey elli," trent began, whilst absent mindedly drawing lazy circles on her arms.

elli was nestled against him, tucked between his right arm and his chest, warm and alive and breathing (correctly).

"hmm?" she asked, her voice drenched with drowsiness.

"do you have any close friends here in mineral town?"

elli was quiet for a beat, "yeah. i do. there's popuri, karen, mary, and anne."

"is that all? were you dating anyone before me?" trent pressed, trying not to sound too curious or suspicious.

elli was quiet for a longer pause.

"darling?" trent began to feel the worry and regret swell.

"there was one person."

trent felt something surge within his chest, although he couldn't pinpoint what it was exactly.

"you don't have to tell me who, if it makes you uncomfortable. not now anyways, maybe never."

"they were my closest friend. i loved them a lot," elli's voice was barely a whisper. he felt honored that she would share something as intimate and tightly wound as this with him.

he knew who it was.

"i'm sure they loved you as well, even now they probably still do."

elli chuckled lazily, "i doubt it. i think i really broke their heart."

trent was quiet, opting instead to pull her closer to him. he kissed the top of her head. "goodnight, sweetheart."

* * *

"so," she began, "mind telling me why you're having me do this?"

"why do you keep coming? i'm bound by confidentiality. i wouldn't tell anyone, even if you hadn't reminded me about it so many times."

she went quiet, like how she always did when she was thinking about what to say or processing new information.

trent had only realized later that it was a symptom.

she grinned her wolf grin, the one that flashed all her pearly whites for the whole world to see.

"ugh, careful. you could take a picture in a dark room using those as flash."

she laughed heartily, something he had become accustomed to hearing.

"i come so i can see her," her expression softened, and she offered him the same smile she did the first night this all started. trent wished she wouldn't smile like that anymore. it felt like something inside her had ceased to function and disappeared.

"i'm sure she appreciates it," trent smiled in return.

"you're very handsome when you smile," she leaned forward, elbow propped up on a knee, chin resting within her palm.

"am i now?" he began to wipe his instruments down again.

"yeah, but you're not the slightest bit cute other than that."

"and you're not cute at all," he shot back.

"i don't need to be cute for anyone anymore," she laughed and stuck her tongue out.

* * *

"maybe a hike up mother's hill would be good for you," trent offered.

"maybe, maybe not."

"come on, claire," he protested, "we can still try."

"i didn't tell you so that you could try and fix me. i said i came here to live peacefully."

"okay, fine. do it for me then. as a friend."

she raised an eyebrow, tossing a glance up and down his being to check for any damage. "when did we become friends?"

"you're annoying. i bet you've never seen the white flower that blooms only one summer night a year."

"no," her interest peaked, "i've never even heard of it."

"well. it's still winter. we can go when summer rolls around. elli, stu, ellen, you, and i. until then we'll have to settle for a starry night."

"what makes you think i'd go to see this flower? let alone a starry night?" she scoffed.

"because i'm your doctor. you'll have to listen to me. besides, i'm in need of more herbs, and elli deserves a day off."

"what about me? i'm sick," she crossed her arms.

"but according to me, this will help your illness. and you have to take my advice and instruction seriously."

she stared at him, the same way she did when she first entered his clinic, with the very same intensity.

"okay," she answered carefully, tasting the words in her mouth before spitting them out, "i'll spend your day off with you. but only after five. that's when zack comes to collect the shipment."

"don't strain yourself beforehand," trent eyed her, scrawling down more notes onto her files.

 _hiking mother's hill. fresh air may help?_

* * *

elli smiled at trent, her boyfriend, whom which was uncharacteristically whistling whilst sorting the bottles of bodigizer and turbojolt in the clinic.

"darling? i can't say it's the new shipment of bodigizer xl that's got you in such a good mood, now can i?" elli called from her counter.

trent paused and turned to look at his adorable elli, leaning on the counter with her chin in her hands.

he blushed, and turned back to his task. "i always whistle," he mumbled.

elli laughed. "can i really spend tomorrow with my grandmother?"

"you could spend every day off with her and that'd be perfectly fine. you would always come help me, and for that i'm forever grateful. but you didn't have to."

"i did that because i love you," elli chuckled.

trent's blush deepened, "and i love you." he turned to look at her.

"i mean that," he walked over and kissed her forehead over the counter. trent grabbed her hands, intertwining her small ones with his.

elli's warm brown eyes stared into his, searching for something. she must have found it, because she smiled and kissed him flush on the lips.

it was a soft one, gentle to its truest nature and deeply expressive of all her intentions and feelings. he liked this best, the warmth and kindness she exuded in his life. she was good for him, and he hoped, he was the same for her.

but _she_ was also always on his mind, as much as elli was. and a tiny curiosity bloomed in the back of his mind, _what would her kisses taste like?_

* * *

"...and this one is poisonous. you can't really tell right off the bat because of how similar it looks to the other variations, but if you pay attention to the red tint of the leaves and stem then you can quickly weed out which ones are edible and which ones aren't.

"see? if you compare the red ones to the blue or green or white ones then you can see. all the ones except for red are good, and have different healing properties. different colored ones grow according to the season. right now, there're only white ones because it's the winter season, and scanty at that. it is cold after all, and the ground is covered in snow. i'm surprised there are even white herbs around but they always find a way somehow. nature really is spectacular!"

she rolled her eyes as he prattled on about herbs and their magical healing properties and whatnot.

"you're a dweeb," she simply said when he was done.

"take that back," he pointed a fallen branch at her.

"i'd eat them whenever i scavenged for them to sell, even the red ones. didn't know they were poisonous."

"we say 'poisonous' to deter the locals from eating them. it's more like they take away stamina, and overtime your system tires out from constantly trying to work to break down the structure of the plant. it's slightly more complicated, and we're not really meant to digest that particular species."

she nodded, clearly impressed by his plethora of knowledge. "basil must really like you."

"oh, he hates me. he only tolerates me enough to hear what i have to say." trent laughed, puffy white clouds floated from his mouth and into the frigid night air.

she stayed quiet, squatting down to his level. "how is elli?"

trent stopped moving, for a moment, an unsure feeling jolted through his body like lightning. "she's great. she's with her grandmother today, and i'm sure stu appreciates that she's home for once as well."

she flashed a new smile at him, one he had never seen before. "stu didn't know about me. neither did ellen. i suppose it would have been too strange."

trent turned to look at her; this abnormal, extraordinary and impossibly human woman at her most vulnerable moment. she was completely open, and almost in tears.

"that night i was thinking to myself 'hey i'm really lonely and i'm gonna die alone.' not even elli wanted me. and then i saw you, i saw the way you looked at me. and _goddess_ —all i saw was red. i was so angry. i knew who you were, because elli used to talk about you so much. it was cruel of you to appear that night, and it hurt to see you looking at me with such _disgust_. it was like another reminder that elli was too good for me. but you—you were perfect for each other! you had never known me, but you had already decided who i was in your own mind for me."

she closed her eyes and let out a shaky breath, careful not to break into sobs. trent was astonished and quiet.

all this time he'd taken her to be made up about her mind, and strong. too strong for her own good, only to see he was completely and utterly wrong about her.

her whole body was heaving with the effort to hold back a huge flood, he saw the way her thin shoulders were shaking tremendously.

trent didn't want to touch her, unsure of what would have happened next. she may have been deteriorating, but she was still strong enough to work her farm all by herself, day to day.

"claire," he managed to say, but she didn't respond.

he could hear her muffled whimpers crushed against the arms of her shabby, thin coat.

"claire," he repeated and he saw her head rise up halfway.

"i've got snot all over my face," she warned.

trent reached for her chin and pulled her face up. it was disgustingly puffy, and she wasn't exaggerating when she had said so.

he pulled out a handkerchief, and smushed her face against it to wipe off the excess fluids, despite her protests.

"come with me," trent took hold of her hand and led her up the rest of the path to the mother's hill summit.

she tripped a couple of times, on account of her not watching her steps. she was too busy wiping away the bottled up tears that couldn't be kept in without overflowing.

"you can see the cities from here," trent breathed, shaking in the frigid cold wind.

amazed, she left her mouth hanging ajar. it was apparent she had never been to the summit before. her schedule hadn't allotted the time for it. or maybe she never had the mind to go, much less go alone.

"i can see my hometown," she pointed towards the light cluster from the furthest distance north.

trent squinted, unsure if those were really city lights or low horizon stars. sure enough, she convinced him of her confidence in her navigation skills.

"though what we really came here for tonight, was this." trent spread his arms wide, and grandly gestured to the night sky before the pair. sure enough, behold, a moon and billions of stars that put the tiny city lights below in the distance to shame.

she did nothing, said nothing. only looked upon one of the most amazing sights any human being could happen upon, courtesy of the universe's many wonders it had to offer.

trent did nothing, said nothing. only looked upon one of the most loneliest, broken, and imposing human beings he would probably ever meet. she was in awe of those stars, billions and trillions of light years away. but in that moment, all he could hope to do was stare at this human being, that was so filled with raw emotion and experience and pain.

and he wanted nothing more, than for this moment to last a while longer before they returned to their bittersweet realities.

she finally felt his gaze, and turned to look at him, leveling his stare. it was the same intensity. the one he had come to admire, no longer shrinking before it.

he noticed she was shaking, even more so than he was. not completely selfless, he shared his coat with her, crushing her against his side within the confines of the coat. "t–this way the both of us won't be cold, and we can share body heat," trent explained hurriedly, unsure if he was blushing or if his face had already froze off.

she smiled, and his gaze flickered to her lips. she didn't move away, and he moved forward to meet her in one swift kiss.

this kiss wasn't anything he was used to. elli's were soft and melted him like chocolate. hers were hard, crashing lips and clacking teeth. there was a desire, an instinct to find something within each other—a truth.

he had wondered about the taste of her lips, her tongue, her saliva mixing in with his. it was like fire, she burned him from the mouth and spread her heat throughout his body.

she was the first to pull away.

 _we can't_ , her sad and fearful eyes seemed to say. _i'm going to die_ , she sighed and looked down, her eyes tightly squeezed shut, _and you have elli._

she placed both of her hands on his chest, a small smile playing on her lips. he wanted to hold her. strangers again. like the very first night. and she walked away, her hand on his chest the very last point of contact she left him with.

there was no goodnight. no goodbye.

just her and the silence of many twinkling stars in the sky, the moon bearing witness to the events of a wintery wednesday night on the peak of mother's hill.

trent watched her wheat colored hair, silvery in the moonlight, spill down her back as she retreated down the path leading home.

somewhere in his heart, he knew it was almost time, and it would be the last of her he would ever see again.

* * *

 _hiking did not seem to improve condition._

* * *

elli's tears meant more than anyone would ever know. they spilled down her cheeks silently under her black lace veil.

trent did not try to console her, for he knew she needed to grieve.

in part, it was also for his own need.

the whole town showed up to her funeral.

she was well liked amongst mineral town, from her hilarious drunk escapades at the inn, to her frequent visits to the library, and her business with both barley and lillian's farms.

saibara was quiet for once, laying down on her coffin her beloved farm tools, newly inlaid with mythrill and old style engravings of the harvest goddess tales.

manna and duke offered her one of their finest bottles of wine. "she would have loved this one," he could hear manna say between quiet sobs.

the mayor took his hat off, also dressed in black. he mourned the loss of a friend, like a daughter to him.

father carter is uncharacteristically sullen, hands clutched tightly to his bible.

"claire was more than just a city girl that had come to our small, beloved town. she became one of us. she was good to the children, and watched over them with a careful eye. she helped the elderly with their routine tasks, when they could no longer complete it by themselves. she brought prospering business to our town, running her own farm and producing shipment exported out of mineral town. she made festivals fun. she brought pride to our name when she won the horse races, the cow shows, the chicken shows. claire showed us through hard work, the fruits of success would always be ours for the taking. but to never forget to have fun along the way. her life was short, and i dare to say the harvest goddess took her from us too soon. never, will we forget our beloved city girl. may she rest in peace for all eternity."

trent watched as a leash was broken when father carter finished, and a fresh new wave of reality hit the town once more. was she really gone?

elli leaned into him, her sobs more apparent as her casket was lowered into the ground. she couldn't bear to watch the scene.

he watched every second of it, as it seemed to confirm with each passing frame of this horror film that this was indeed happening in real time.

she was really gone.

he thought back to a couple of months before, the last time they had ever spoken on the peak of mother's hill.

before she began to severely break down. before she couldn't breath anymore.

the way her long blonde hair swept against her back when she walked.

how she annoyingly retorted all his insults right back at him.

the way she laughed differently each time.

how genuine and goofy her smiles were.

the way her lips were always chapped.

how her lips felt against his.

she was still there, still moving, still alive.

she had collapsed in her home. zack had discovered her only after he realized there was no shipment that day.

she was in and out of consciousness, whispering she couldn't breath when she was awake before fading again.

trent was there when she ceased.

he couldn't react. he didn't know how—refused to do so.

no one blamed him for not being able to save her. no one knew she didn't want to be saved.

by the time she had arrived at his clinic, her life was already slipping through the universe's fingers into a different place.

trent only held elli tightly, resting his tired cheek atop her head.

* * *

"oh… hello."

the stranger turned around unsuspectingly, revealing the youthful face of a young man with a rucksack full of his belongings and the only clothes he owns on his back.

the mayor approached the young man, "are you here about the farm?"

"yeah, i am."

"i'm sorry to hear. as you can see, the farm's not in the same shape it used to be. the advertisements lied to you, haha!" the mayor let out a hearty laugh.

the young man looked on with annoyance.

"the previous owner died not too long ago," the mayor sighed, and a gentle breeze blew between them and felt comforted. the mayor was sure it was her.

"it used to be such a beautiful farm, it's our wish to see that it's restored to its former glory. of course, we've all been to busy to run it. and everyone that sees it turns tail and runs."

the mayor watched the young man. "say… why don't you try to run it? the house is still quite livable, and the stable and coop are in great condition. the field is plenty workable as well. the soil is in peak fertility!"

the young man turned back to look at the wide expanse of farmland. he envisioned it flowing with honey and milk and wheat. somewhere out in the fields, stands a smiling girl with hair as golden as the wheat that surrounds her. she peers into the sun, a slender hand poised gracefully over the rim of her sunhat to further block the golden rays obstructing her vision. she seems to soak in the sun, breathing in the air of the lands before turning to look at him. she yells something inaudible to him, hand cupped around her mouth before waving at him happily.

startled, the young man waves back, unsure why he would do so.

the mayor watches and follows his gaze, and although he can't see—he knows.

"what do you say, young fella?"

the young man thinks for a few seconds, pondering.

it was never a thought in his mind to leave the city behind and pursue a career in agriculture. but what had he to lose anymore?

"yeah," he tasted the words in his mouth before giving them up, "i can give it a shot."


End file.
